Human Computation: Teaching Computational Arts without Computers
Contextual Background
The BA in Fine Art: Computational Arts requires students to use computers, as the name implies. This can be daunting at the start of their studies and can unintentionally exacerbate inequalities within a cohort as students from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds may not have their own computers and may be borrowing an old laptop that struggles to run some of the software, for example.
Evaluation
Since the course began in 2021, I have taken steps to mitigate this and to create a level-playing field that is accessible and inclusive. Unit 1, which is officially titled ‘Introduction to Fine Art and Computational Arts’ has been framed as ‘Human Computation’ – and invites students to not use computers for the first four weeks, by considering computation as a human and more-than-human practice, evidenced by processes found in nature and traditional crafts. The unit is comprised of lectures and workshops that are non-digital such as knitting.
The team and identified that the unit still fell short at meeting our students’ diverse needs as some international students struggling with English misunderstood the brief. In response, we ensured that language support and academic support was properly signposted and introduced at the start of the unit. This has helped improve pass rates and in the most recent cycle, no students failed unit 1.
Moving forwards
Our pedagogical approach to Unit 1 sets the tone of the course, eschewing the more computer and coding intensive approaches to digital arts courses such as at Carnegie Melon (Levin, 2021), and UAL’s Creative Computing Institute[1].
A concern moving forward, is that accessibility and inclusivity on the course still hinges upon the provision of adequate computers to all students. Currently, we only have four available computers in our teaching space, limiting the number of students that we can support during technical workshops. We are currently in the process of purchasing more computers after campaigning for more resources.
I plan to create a video-resource that we can share with applicants before the programme commences to explain the recommended kit and support available. This idea is based on feedback received from the Observations exercise of a video I made.
Having been a student myself at UAL through this PGCert, I have seen firsthand how the first weeks of studying involved becoming familiar with UAL’s multiple IT systems. This requires the use of computers to engage with, which may inevitably cause computer-related anxiety that we try to alleviate. To mitigate this I plan to put Unit 1’s resources, lecture slides and reading list on a website that we can share with students prior to commencing. This would enable the content of unit 1 to be accessible without the need to first familiarise students to Moodle and troubleshoot login issues. Educators in similar digital arts courses have had success in using open-access platforms and websites through which they share their academic teaching material. Notable examples include Jeff Thompson[2], Alison Parrish[3], Everest Pipkin[4] and Joel Gethin-Lewis from UAL CCI.[5]
In summary, moving forward I will:
- Create a welcoming video that prepares students for unit 1.
- Work on the equipment bid to ensure that we have more computers available at the start of term.
- Place our unit 1 teaching materials on a website that doesn’t require a UAL login to access, to ensure newcomers have a chance to see the teaching materials in advance of starting.
- Signpost new students to language support and academic support, and schedule briefings from representatives of those teams.
- Be attentive to the support needs of students in the first weeks regarding accessing UAL’s IT systems.
References
Levin, G. and Brain, T., 2021. Code as creative medium: a handbook for computational art and design. MIT Press.
[1] https://www.arts.ac.uk/creative-computing-institute
[2] https://www.jeffreythompson.org/cv.html
[3] https://www.decontextualize.com